Toyota Sienna Sliding Door Problems

Comments

I've spent some time reading through the Sienna door problems forum and it strikes me that these common problems will never be addressed by Toyota unless they are forced to do so. I am not an attorney and I've never been involved with a lawsuit, but this seems like an instance where a group of affected consumers could form a class and work with a lawyer to reach out to others who have had the same problem. Do you know of anyone who has looked into this possibility?

I have not looked into this but it seems reasonable, it would be great if a lawyer had the same problem and would investigate our problem and bring it before Toyota. I still have hopes that Toyota will address and fix the problem.

I am sure a Toyota dealership would be glad to help. Have you tried the "sliding door manual release" for your model? http://i.imgur.com/5jA6R.jpg Cutting the cable will only destroy a part of the vehicle and is a hack repair.

Hi, Thank you for your concern, I really appreciate your advice. I have talked to my dealership and they inspected the problem, saying it would cost over $1,000. to fix it. I contacted Toyota hoping to have a recall soon.

We just came back from the dealership after having been told that to fix the right sliding door and lock will be $1,600! This is the second time our 2007 Ltd has cost us serious $$$. The last time, it was the left side. However, these issue with the Power Doors has been ongoing and intermittent since we bought the van. I decided to go on-line to see if there is anyway to fix this problem myself, but it would appear I'm stuck. I think a class action lawsuit against the company is in order...how else will they ever be forced to deal with this issue?! This was my 3rd Sienna, but it will be my last.

Thank you guys, I made my complaint. Hopefully someone in OSHA or Toyota start paying attention to this Door lock problem. toyota charges $700 to fix and say warranty over after 30K miles. This is a serious defect and should be recalled.

I own a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The doors operate properly. My 2 year old daughter got her trapped leg removed from the sliding door by the fire department. Her leg was cold and turning blue before it was removed. I believe if she was stuck much longer she may have lost her leg. My 2 year old daughter was inside the car, back driver side. My 5 year old son opened the sliding door by pushing the automatic button. I was standing on the back passenger side of the car. As the door was automatically opening my daughter fell in the space between the car floor and the door. She fell behind the latch that hooks into the back part of the door when fully open. Her thigh was caught behind the hinge. The automatic door tried to open all the way but couldn't because her thigh was trapped. Then the door tried to close but it couldn't because her body was in the way. Her leg was wedged so tightly we couldn't reposition her to close the door (allowing for room to get her leg out.) She was trapped for 25 minutes before removed. The door had to be removed to get her leg out. Toyota was contacted and stated there are no sensors for the door going back, just forward. They do not believe there is a manufacture design problem. Please if you have young children or know anyone who has a Toyota Sienna with young children, disconnect the automatic sliding doors.

Thank you for writing and making people aware of this problem, I am so sorry you had to go through such a terrible situation, I am glad your little girl is okay.

My 2 year old grandson, put his arm in behind the sliding door on the outside as the door was closing, his parent got him out just in time. It took only seconds for the parents to turn off the sliding doors, making them open manually. That was 2 years ago and the doors are still on manual position, safety is most important!!

I am so glad you contacted Toyota, they really need to be aware of this safety factor.

Our dealer states that we need to replace the power actuator ($1,000). The van has 110,000 miles on it. The problem we have is that once the door is completely open it will not close with the inside buttons, it seems to stick. We need to manually pull the door to have it "automatically" close. Opening is not a problem. We can actually open the door from the inside button and outside and close just as long as it doesn't open all the way into the locked position.

If the problem is the actuator, it is a $100 part that you can purchase from Toyota and install yourself. I don't recall the post numbers but if you search my I'd the references should show up. There are very detailed and easy instructions for installation posted online. I had the same problem with my 2005 sienna and hubby had it fixed in about two hours for only $100! Good luck.

Check also the L shape hinge ( the part that connected the door to the rail) on the door, the cushion maybe worned out.. It happen to my door and toyota want to replace the motor etc for about $1500. I have it taken care by local machenic for about 200 with part. I hate toyota..I have so many problem with this van. Their cars are not built like before because they use cheap small parts that cause $$$ to fix. Good luck.

When the l-shape henge (the cushion on the l-shape henge, according to my mechanic) is worn off, it will create a friction when the door is moving. You will have to push the door a little to finish the movement/ or close. However eventually it will start scratching the body of the car and it will stop. There are 2 parts that connect the door to the body, top and bottom. I have problem with the top where the door is hanging. This van has so many problems but toyota will not admit it. On my last visit to toyota for an oil change , the service guy said my brake oil, transmission oil, the gasket are leaking.. it require 6000 to fix. I took it to other mechanic, he said it is just moistures and non of the trouble lights are on. I am not a mechanic but when u hear what the service guy in toyota tell me almost everything is leaking, it really scare me. I really hate them... I used to be a toyota lover.. not any more... good luck.....

I think Toyota is making a huge mistake not addressing these issues. I had a Lexus RX300 and there were unaddressed transmission problems with that car. I bought a Volvo to replace it. I didn't even look at the new Lexuses. I also have a 2006 Toyota Sienna. Our door has stopped working via one of the switches so I hope it is just a switch but I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop and be faced with an $1800 bill. If they don't address this problem I will not even look at Toyotas when getting a replacement for this care. And I will make sure my family and friends are aware of the lack of attention. Seems to me to be a bad marketing decision to try and save a few million bucks now but turn off thousands of future buyers.

Toyota and the dealer is so outrageous with the sliding door problem. Here is my story:2005 Toyota Sienna XLE. 110K km the sliding door (driver side) jammed to open, but worked if pull with handle. Went the Ens TOYOTA, charged me ~$500. After 4 months the passenger side of the sliding door had same problem, charged me $709.72! Complained to TOYOTA Canada. For sure this is the Sienna defect. but I was told it is not under warranty anymore. Paid the bill, total >$1200. Can you believe this?

Yesterday, I replaced the front brake, pad/SHIM/FITTING kit ($112.03 parts), but they charged me $367.87 for labors (tax not included!). I phoned back, they said they charged me the job for rear brakes too, which the teller told me when I picked up my car yesterday that job needed another appointment and bill!I did some research and found here. Now I realized they just suck the customer's blood! Can you believe this!Why they did this!

Then I have a question. Where do I find the standard that the mechanics should charge for the labor for a specific job, so that you can talk to them? Thanks!

We also have the 2005 XLE. Blessed with BOTH the door weld "clicking" issue AND just had the driver side sliding door fixed. I don't know the technical term but the cable the door slides on seemed to have rusted out and then sGot sheared in half. In both cases we were fortunate that for some reason I had signed up for some kind of platinum warranty (which of course we nevr get- knowing Toyota, they probably slipped it in without me knowing. At any rate, the repair would have been $1200.00 as you stated. RIDiCULOUS! I've owned a Toyota since college, but I Swear the next minvan is a Honda. I also hate that I or a passenger can't use the Navi while driving.

Question on cutting the cable. How would you get to the cable if the door is stuck in the closed position? I disengaged the auto switch however it is impossible to open the door manually. Would I need to take off the inside door cover to get to the cable?

My 04 Sienna sliding door cable snapped, and they surprised me with a $1500 bill to repair. Options were limited unless I wanted a 3 door van. Six months later, the door no longer works, take it in for adjustment, and they have to replace a different motor. Turns out it's my adjustment, as in $450 more to replace. Out of warranty, so Toyota won't help. I don't pay it, and the previous $1500 spent is worthless. I'm glad there are other strong options for new cars, I'm having a hard time justifying staying with Toyota after 20 years of continuous ownership. Very very frustrating.

I had this same problem and used the fix you mentioned above. It worked great as far as getting the door to close, but now it won't open. It seems like the cable does not have enough tension to release the rear latch. Do you know how I can get access to the cable to open the door? I think, once I get it open, I can readjust the cable tension or adjust the rear latch mount towards the interior and retighten those two screws.

When my wife arrived at work she needed to get in the passenger side power sliding door. When she finished she went to close it and it would not budge. Yours truly had to drive 20 miles to check it out. Sure enough there was no closing it. After looking at all of the possibilities - removing the inside panel, checking the door motor, and cable; I had about given up. Then I noticed that the lights were dimmer than usual and that cranking the engine sounded like the battery was on its last leg. I ended up putting a new battery in. Shazam, the power door was able to close. Have not had a problem with it since. Any write-ups I have checked out do not make any reference to a low battery being the cause. One side note. In the process of trying to manually close the door I busted the outside handle loose from the forward anchor. So now have to take the door panel off anyway and replace that handle. The wonders of plastic.

Had the same problem on my Sienna went with these guys and they fixed my regulator door thingy for my 2006 sienna. I didn't want to pay the $1500 my local dealer was quoting me, and I think that price didn't include installation. I have 3 kids so I'm kind of surprised it only 5 years for its to break. Hope this helps you!

Ya I just took off the my old unit, and shipped it to them, they put a new cable into it and shipped it back in like 2 days. It cost me $650 for the rh side. I haven't had a problem with the lh side....yet.

My drivers side door on a 2004 Sienna has been making crunching sounds, and working sporadically. It usually works, but sometimes needs a pull to get started opening or a push to get fully closed. At times you can hear a slight crunching kind of noise. We take it into the Toyota dealer, because the typical auto repair and collision places didn't want to touch it.

The diagnosis is that it was a 'controller'; basically telling me it was an electronics issue. If it's an electronics issue - why is there a crunching noise as if something is jammed in there? And they tell me that the part is $651 plus $350 labor to replace.

Does this make sense to anyone? I feel that I'm being taken advantage of by the dealer in this situation.